Edward jacob hill



(No Model.)

B. J HILL. MATCH ox.

No; 496,261. PatentedApr. 25, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD JACOB HILL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MATCH-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,261, dated April25, 1893.

Application filed December 29, 1892. Serial No. 466,660. (No model.) I iTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J AOOB HILL, of 11 Victoria Street, in thecity of Westminster, London, England, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Match and other Boxes, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My invention consists of a box (for holding matches, cigarettes, cigars,lozenges, and other small articles) made of a single piece of preferablysheet metal stamped or cut of such shape and folded in such manner as toform a complete self-closing spring-box having a movable part forming acontainer and a discharge orifice with which, by reason of the springaction of the box, the movable part does not in its normal positioncommunicate but with which it may be made to communicate in order togive passage to the articles one at a time, as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 shows the shape to which theblank is cut out to form the self closing spring box.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box in the closed position. Fig. 3is an end view, showing the box when compressed to bring the containerinto communication with the discharge aperture. Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsection on line 1-1 Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is drawn to a smaller scale than theother figures.

The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

The boxes may be made of various sizes suited to the articles they areto contain, a match-box being here illustrated and described only by wayof example.

The blank A is a parallel sided strip with wings or extensions ashereinafter described, the width of the strip proper corresponding tothe length of the box and the length of the strip to about one and ahalf times the girth of the intended box, so as to admit of the stripbeing folded as hereinafter described. This strip has lateral extensionsb, 1), formed in one with it, said extensions being of approximatelyoval form to constitute the ends dished form, as shown in cross section'in Fig. 4, so as to present a rounded external contour and they may beroughened externally to form friction surfaces for igniting matches. Oneof the portions 2) has a gapor opening (1 in the position shown, to formthe orifice at which the articles are to be withdrawn' from the box.

The blank may or may not be formed with an extension e which is bentdown at right angles to the plane of the blank to form alip which whenthe box is completed passes through the orifice d, as shown in'Fig. 2.The end of the blank which is outermost when the box is completed(namely the end adjacent to the extensions b) has two longitudinalextensions f which when the blank is folded to boxform come intoposition to be engaged by the tags 0 whose ends are bent inward so as toform hooked clips adapted to embrace and to be sprung into engagementwith the extensions f. These tags serve asadditional means to supportthe ends I) of the box and retain the circumferential part of the box inproper position, but they. may be dispensed with.

The blank has a slight transverse crease at g and it is folded on amandrel or otherwise to the form'shown in Figs. 2 and 3. As seen inthese figures there are three cross-bends h, i, k, of which the first isabout half the radius of the other two which respectively correspond incurvature to the semi-circular configuration of the ends I) of the box.It will be observed that the smaller bend h is not quite a semicircle sothat the inner end portion 1 of the blank diverges from the sidem of thebox and its extremity bears against the interior of the side it so thatit will act as a spring tending to keep the box in the most expandedposition which the extensions f will admit of, the spring-like action ofthe partlsupplementing the elasticity of the metal at the bend "i. It isthe space bounded by the inner end portion I and the side m and thebends h and 'i which constitutes the holding capacity of the box, and itwill be observed that in the normal position of the box, as shown inFig. 2

the orifice d lies outside of this space but by pressing inward the sidem as shown in Fig. 3 by pressure applied to the side m at the partexposed by the gap between the extensions f,

the orifice dis brought into communication with this space and givespassage to the tnatches or other articles the box may con- The functionof the lip e is to obstruct the orifice (1 when the box is in its normalposition and so prevent the introduction of matches between the parts Zand n of the box, which might be carelessly done either in fillmg thebox or in replacing matches when lmore than one is accidentally takenfrom the If the box beintended for holding cigarettes or cigars thesewill so nearly correspond in size to the orifice cl that more than onecannot escape at once, and the lip may therefore be dispensed with.

The box may either be filled at the orifice d or at one of the endsbefore the latter are closed up.

I prefer to make the box of thin sheet spring metal,butit maybe madeofcelluloid; orit may be made of card-board or of paper-covered veneer ofwood, the necessary spring action being in this case obtained by alongitudinal band or strip of spring metal secured in any suitablemanner to the blank, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

I claim-- 1. A self-closing spring-box formed of a single piece or blankof springy material stamped or cut to the form of an oblong strip withlat eral extensions adapted to form the ends of the box, the strip beingbent at three places so as to cause it to be overlapped upon itself andinclose an inner cavity (preferably of approximately V-form in section)this inner folded part being itself partially inclosed by theoverlapping portion of the strip in such manner that the inner part ofthe box is free to be moved to a limited extent within the outer partand is caused by the spring-like action of the bends to normally assumesuch a position within the outer part that the inner cavity does notcoincide with an orifice in one of the lateral extensions forming theends of the box but may be made to coincide therewith by moving theinner within the outer part of the box by pressure applied to theformer, as described.

2. A self-closing spring-box formed of a single piece or blank ofspringy material stamped or cut to the form of an oblong strip withlateral extensions adapted to form the ends of the box, the strip beingbent at three places so as to cause it to be overlapped upon itself andinclose an inner cavity (preferably of approximately V-form in section)this inner folded part being itself partially inclosed by theoverlapping portion of the strip in such manner that the inner part ofthe box is free to be moved to a limited extent within the outer part,in order that it may be brought into and out of communication with theexit orifice as described, the lateral extensions forming the ends ofthe box having hooked tag-1ike further extensions formed in onetherewith and engaged, when the strip is folded to box-form, withlongitudinal extensions formed at the outer end of the strip, so as toconnect the box ends with the body of the box, substantially asspecified.

Dated this 13th day of December, 1892.

EDWARD JACOB HILL.

Witnesses:

WM. CLARK,

53 Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.

BAYARD O. DISCON,

53 Chancery Lane, London, Clerk.

